Okay, check this out:

http://www.travelready.net/product_info.php/products_id/981

I have one of these. I tested it out. I followed the instructions, and operating the striker is quite intuitive (easy to figure out even without instructions).

I lit the cotton on the third strike. It burned for about 5 minutes. The cotton was sitting in water (just as a test), and didn't burn completely, but enough to have worked for firebuilding I think.

It was actually easier pulling sparks out of this unit than it is with the standard metal match and the back of a knife blade. The price is right, too. It is now part of my daily pack, and I will get another couple for gp.

If you can't get a fire going with this little gem under all but the worst possible conditions imaginable, you likely will not with anything else save for a working butane lighter and a pile of dry tinder. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
_________________________
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)